


Cheese Wheels and Sexting Don't Mix

by CrimsonBlueMoon (Navybluewings)



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dirty Talk, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Idiots in Love, M/M, Miscommunication, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Roommates, Sexting, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2019-07-20 18:58:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16143443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navybluewings/pseuds/CrimsonBlueMoon
Summary: Tony's set on getting revenge after StarLord eats his precious cheese. His plan involves sexting, tight jeans, and Director Fury. A perfect combination in his opinion, until his roommate (and very unrequited crush) Steve Rogers comes home. One question sets off a chain reaction that Tony never expected, and he's not sure his friendship with Steve will make it out alive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome everyone! I'm not even sure how this story got started-actually, yes I do, it's the Stony discord I'm in. Blame them. Anyways, this has been bouncing around my head for a bit so I wanted to throw it out there and see what everyone thought! 
> 
> Just a few things to point out:  
> 1) It's the Avengers Acadamy setting technically, but they're in college instead of high school. I just have a weird thing about having underage people do sexual stuff.  
> 2) I'm not as fluid in AVAC as I am MCU so there's probably gonna be some crossover mix with that. Sorry in advance if that bothers you.  
> 3) This story is most done already, but I'm gonna post it in three parts cause it's a lot to have in one sitting. But know this story is 75% written already, and will be 100% done before the second chapter goes up next week. 
> 
> Okay, now that all of that is done, please enjoy!

 

When Tony had invited Bruce to join him Monday afternoon, he’d been smiling. That wasn’t rare, as the scientist was known for his charming grins and quirky persona. But his high spirit was special that day, ready to share his secret with his favorite science nerd. That was until he pushed open the kitchen door. Then his good mood, spiraling and shaking with excitement, died. Why? Because Peter Quill, dressed for the 80s and seeming to lack a comb, lounged against the kitchen counter like he owned the place. 

And he had his filthy mouth around Tony’s prized Pule wheel like it was a Walmart cheese stick. 

“Oh hey, Tony!” Grinning like he hadn’t stabbed the genius in the heart with a metaphorical cheese knife, the space pilot popped another piece of Pule into his mouth. “Nice block of swiss you got here. Or is it feta?” 

“Oh no,” Bruce whispered, quickly glancing between the two while taking a few steps back. Tony’s gaping mouth snapped shut instantly, eyes turning sharp while his voice quivered. 

“What the  **hell** are you doing?” 

“Woah man, chill out. The delivery guy couldn’t find the kitchen, and I always grab a snack before band practice. Don’t worry, I only nabbed a few slices.” Except for a neanderthal like the Spartoi hybrid, ‘slices’ were chunks that took half of the cheese off the table. Hundreds of dollars became crumbles on the leather jacket and floor, as if nobody had taught Quill fine motor skills. “I wouldn’t be a good friend if I let my favorite genius get poisoned, so I took the liberty of being your lab rat. You’re welcome.” 

“Bruce, I’m going to need potassium hydroxide and lye. And a vat. Big enough to hold, oh I don’t know...I’m thinking one hundred and sixty pounds? He’s slimmed down this semester-”

“You’re not killing him.” Bruce’s sigh rolled out with his words, pulling his glasses from his nose to clean them with the edge of his shirt. 

“Brucie bear, you don’t understand; he  **devoured** my Pule. It’s like he ate my firstborn.” 

“You’re lucky you’re hot, man, cause you’ve got issues.” Quill’s nose scrunched while he jumped off the stool by the kitchen’s counter, flicking some of the crumbs off his shirt. Tony bit back a whimper, fighting the urge to collect the Pule from the floor. “Look, I can give you the twenty bucks for the hunk of cheese if you’re strapped for cash-”

“Excuse me?” Tony wasn’t sure his eyes could get wider, but the bull-headed man pushed past the stunned genius toward the door. 

“I can cover it when I find my wallet, just send me an IOU or something. But I’ve gotta go, Drax will skewer me with a drumstick if I’m late again. Peace out!” And in a flash, Starlord was gone. Both he and Bruce were left speechless for a moment, but Tony’s mouth was quick to recover. 

“He is an idiot.” Tony rubbed his temples while approaching the remaining slab of Pule cheese, his heart constricting at the crime scene left behind. “Was he raised by cavemen?”

“Ravagers,” Bruce supplied, quiet in his slow approach to his distressed friend. His gentle hand, which hid the Hulk easier now, dropped onto the billionaire’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about your Pule, Tony. But at least there’s still some left. Maybe we can talk to the cheesemakers-” 

“I had to pull three all-nighters to get this wheel. And that Footloose reject gnawed on it like a two dollar candy bar. I don’t want another cheese wheel.” The growl that rumbled at the end of his statement tensed the hand on his shoulder. 

“What do you want, then?” Tony felt the slow crawl of a manic grin tug at his lips, sure his eyes flickered with mischief. 

“Revenge.”  

~**~

There were two things people didn’t always know about Tony Stark. One, he didn’t hesitate to get revenge when feeling slighted by a fellow classmate. Sure his roommate, the boy scout Steve Rogers, never agreed with his mischievous retribution. But would he be Captain America if he did? If Tony had a choice in the name of their motley Academy, it wouldn’t be ‘Avengers’. But Director Fury was a buzzkill, and tended to ignore how much time and energy Tony put into making sure every student got the equipment they needed to get their jobs done. Fury, the bald-headed bastard, simply turned a blind eye to Tony’s suggestion to add an R to the name. And the genius meant every bit of the pun when he shouted it at the sneaky spy’s back last week.

The second thing not always discussed in rumors was his love of cheese. Technology was his passion, but the subtle changes of taste between different types of the dairy treat always made the worst days worth it. If he accidentally blew up his lab? Jersey Blue would suck up Fury’s lecture and Bruce’s disappointed shake of his head. An accidental Widow’s bite to the rear  **after** he took off his armor? One ice pack and a chunk of Winnimere helped ease his bruised ego. If Pepper finally agreed to take a day off from managing the student council to hang out with Tony, they’d relax with red wine and Wyke Farm Cheddar while watching sappy romantic comedies. No matter the occasion, for Tony, cheese was always the answer. 

So when J.A.R.V.I.S had confirmed that Tony’s $600 wheel of Pule was delivered, Tony had nearly ditched his class to claim his reward. But he and Bruce had a presentation on molecular biology for Dr. Pym, and both were unwilling to get lower than an A in the arrogant professor’s class. They nailed it, even if the grumpy man refused to admit it, and Tony knew the perfect way to celebrate. Tony had been so excited over the delicacy, he’d had his trusty AI send the package to the academy's smaller kitchen. It was a long hike from the science building, but it’d keep others from investigating his prize. He invited his science bro to join in on the snack, explaining the lengths that Tony had to go through to get the aged cheese. People were put on a waitlist for Pule, as only milk from the Balkan donkeys in Siberia were used to make the treat. Tony had to spend a week re-inventing the farm’s irrigation system in order to get pushed up on the list. It had been tedious, but from the reviews about the rare cheese, it was worth it. The two scientists had been speaking about how twenty-five liters of milk only made one kilogram of the cheese when Tony had stumbled upon the murder scene. 

It wasn’t hard to plan for revenge after that. 

Tony’s quest to get Quill’s schedule from Gamora had been far easier than the engineer expected. Tony had formed a...strange relationship with Nebula, Gamora’s sister. He’d salvaged her dangling arm after a rough game of superhero dodgeball ripped it from her shoulder, using his quick wit and an emergency toolkit. Nebula was a loner by nature, barely speaking to other members of the Academy unless forced to in class or missions.  But Tony’s save seemed to rub her the right way, and Gamora had warmed up considerably to him because of it. She hadn’t questioned his reasoning for the request, sending the schedule to his phone before shuffling after Mantis. 

Tony studied the intel in order to plan out his strike, debating which class would best serve the scene of revenge. When seeing Dr. Fury’s history of SHIELD class, Tony’s answer was clear as day. Quill’s lack of ability to pay attention in long-winded lectures was well known to the genius, as he’d watched him drool over his desk many times throughout the years. But Dr. Fury was known for punishing students that slept, so the twitchy Quill would be forced to skim through his phone to keep himself awake. Quill’s session was parallel to Tony’s directed study, which meant he could be in his dorm to enact his plan.  

Seven days after “The Pule Incident”, the genius attacked. 

Tony Stark, at his core, was the king of technology and words. So it was no surprise that texting was his preferred mode of conversation. And that, paired with his natural tendency to flirt with anyone, made his plan child’s play. He started five minutes after Dr. Fury’s class began, a simple question of how Quill’s repulsors had been performing since Tony’s update. The cheese mongrel was none the wiser, and fell into a casual conversation with the engineer. Quill seemed more than eager to find a distraction from the dragging lecture. 

And when the bored student asked what Tony was up to, his victim fell into the trap.  

“Alright, you Pule devouring bastard. I’m about to show you why revenge is best served cold. You’re gonna need a bathroom pass or an ice pack by the time I’m done with you.” Tony’s back was warm against his bed, knees bent as his toes tapped against the comforter. Biting his lower lip while scanning over the previous text, the brunet eased into something he knew he was amazing at; sexting. Quill was openly bi-sexual, like Tony. More than once the space pilot had pointed out that he wouldn’t mind finding the genius in his bed. And it wasn’t like the gruff goof was sore on the eyes, either. 

But Tony knew his own iron heart was...occupied.

“Focus, Stark. You are on a mission.” Shaking his head to keep himself from lingering, Tony’s fingers fluttered over the keys and set the mood for his revenge. A few teasing comments about laying in bed and a lack of pants (despite wearing his favorite pair of jeans) seemed to catch the younger man’s interest fast enough to make Tony smirk. Quill folded into his venus trap easily, seeming to forget his current location was surrounded by their classmates. Their conversation flipped into dirty teasing and descriptive words of foreplay like second nature for the two flirts. And despite the plan being to avenge his precious cheese, Tony couldn’t deny the small thrill he got in the sensual play with his classmate. 

Three years ago, Tony was known for always having a partner in his bed. Who the partner was would always change, regardless of gender, race, religion, or even species. The blame was a toss-up between his parents’ neglect, their untimely death, his near-death kidnapping, and the pressure of being the heir to a multi-billion corporation. Whatever it was, Tony hadn’t cared, focusing more on the woman beneath him or the man he’d straddled between classes. Sex was a blend of pleasure and pain that made him forget the demons lurking in his head and the erratic heartbeat located just under his arc reactor. The partners he took home didn’t want to dig past his walls. And if they talked too much, Tony’s mouth had an easy way to shut them up. 

Then they found Captain America. Steve Rogers was supposed to be dead, just a ghost lost in the war decades ago. His father’s will demanded the company never stopped searching for the Captain, a dedication that hadn’t transferred to his own living son. So when Tony got the call that the body was not only found, but  **breathing** , he was shocked. How did Captain America survive? The science and mystery behind the discovery instantly caught Tony’s attention, and the sex that once filled up his time was replaced by studying the supersoldier. After a week of arguing, (Stark Industries found him, and Tony was the only Stark alive to claim the WWII fossil) Dr. Fury had begrudgingly allowed the American dreamboat to room with Tony. 

Their personalities made their introduction rocky. It’d been annoying and hectic to teach the icon about modern America, but once the two peeled off their defenses, malice melted into curiosity and understanding. Steve was no less human despite Howard’s praises of perfection, and Tony’s armor didn’t make him a robot. Slowly, they morphed their relationship into something beyond deceased fathers and super serum. They were Tony and Steve, two friends that truly enjoyed one another’s company. And if Tony’s trivial sexcapades stayed absent after the discovery, he didn’t mind.  The genius preferred the genuine smile and heart-warming laughter of his roommate over the faceless hook-ups of the past. 

The ping of his phone made Tony blink once before he huffed, turning his scattered attention back onto the glowing screen. Revenge first; fantasizing about his unobtainable roommate later. 

**Tony: Are you hard for me, Starlord? Wanna feel my lips wrapped around your cock while I suck you down?**

Maybe it wasn’t his best work, but Tony was out of practice. Plus, everyone knew that one of Quill’s weird kinks was being called by his superhero name. And people said Starks were full of themselves. Tony’s fingers tapped on the side of his phone while he waited for a response, skimming the last few texts he’d exchanged with the eager ship pilot. He really needed to think of a new word to describe Quill’s dick. The engineer was tempted to go full blow 80s porn and ask to ‘ride his stick shift’, but even he would struggle to make that sound sexy. Plus, he’d taken a tour of the Milano, and immediately took a shower afterward. Seriously, how did a guy named Starlord get sex? The game had really changed since he had stepped out of it.

His stomach growled, reminding him that he’d normally be in his lab at this time with half-eaten Italian sub and Black Sabbath to keep him company. Most of his projects weren’t needed, as he’d just finished his upgrading of the team a week ago. Still, Dum-E and Butterfingers always seemed to process slower the next day if he didn’t pop in to say hello. And it wasn’t like the time was really constricting, as his directed study was the final class he took for the day. He thought over his options, deciding to make his way to the cafeteria after his revenge was finished. 

**Cheese Thief: You think you could handle this? Cause you’re really turning me on, and I’m not your average human. Half Spartoi, remember? You gonna take me all in, Stark?**

“Horrible, but I can work with it.” The tip of his tongue popped out between his lips as he thought of his reply, almost missing the sound of his door opening. Brown eyes glanced up at the blond classmate pushing into the room, Tony’s stomach flipping when seeing how close the white t-shirt shirt clung to his roommate. His daily workout, his mind supplied happily, and the genius appreciated the sliver of pale skin peeking out between the edge of his shirt and sagging gym shorts. 

“Well hello, soldier.” He grinned at the eye roll that Steve gave him, knowing he wasn’t offended by the slight smile that was folded into his roommate’s voice. 

“Hey, Shellhead. What are you doing in here? Thought you went into withdrawal if you didn’t recharge in the lab during your directed study.” It was a shame that the super soldier didn’t understand the beauty that he created by simply breathing. Even now, flushed from his exercise and hair messy, the captain was gorgeous. He could have stumbled onto the Paris runway and Steve would never know why so many would take pictures of him instead of the models. 

“You stalking me now? I’m flattered.” Tony’s eyes refused to move back to the screen when Steve started to yank the dampened shirt over his head, the sexual fire he’d barely felt during his sexting now steadily started to warm his blood. He’d always found Captain America hot; he was the human example of perfection. Those who said he wasn’t attractive were blind or liars.

“I just know you.” But when his gaze moved to the bright blue eyes that focused on him with worry, he knew the sucker-punch of arousal and affection came solely from Steve Rogers. “When you’re not playing mad scientist, I know something’s off. So what’s going on?” 

“Uh.” The flub of an answer made Steve frown, and Tony scrambled to get his brain functioning. “I’m gonna head down there in a bit. Working on...something.” 

“You’re not building something illegal again, right?” 

“I only did that...okay, I’ve done that a lot. I mean in my defense, the Iron Man suit is technically illegal and I’ve built at least fifty of those. Fifty-two if we include the spider suit I made for Peter last month and the current emergency Cap suit I’m not supposed to be telling you about yet,” he admitted, his sheepish answer getting a laugh and a shake of the head from the captain now entering the bathroom. 

“It better not be as ugly as yours.” Two years ago, he would have been subjected to a lengthy lecture of the dangers of ignoring the school’s rules. But he’d somehow earned his leader’s trust, and Tony felt his heart squeeze at the thought. The sound of the shower curled Tony’s toes, his mind wandering to the instinctual thought of joining. What would Steve do? Probably punch him in the face, then apologize about it and avoid Tony for a week afterward. Or force himself to hang out with Tony even more to prove that their very platonic friendship was unaffected. He wasn’t sure which reaction would hurt more. The second grumble from his stomach helped eased the bitter feeling, reminding the genius of his need to eat. 

“Food, right,” Tony grumbled, sighing as he squirmed his way to the edge of his bed. Feet dropping to the floor, the engineer glanced to the bathroom and knew he couldn't leave yet. Steve was always hungry after his workouts, and nobody was stupid enough to pass up having the charismatic boy from Brooklyn as their dinner date. “Hey, Winghead.” 

“Yeah?” Tony’s playful nickname made Steve pop out from the bathroom, and the flash of a dark blue towel around slender hips hinted at the soldier’s nakedness underneath. The genius tried to keep the sharp breath he took in quiet, his arousal quick to twitch at the sight. There was a very good reason he’d set up his lab time to match Steve’s shower schedule; even men made of Iron could be bent by their wet, naked roommate. He’d expected the conversation to transpire with a safe wall between them, but the tempting sight that teased his helpless mind was derailing Tony’s words before they had time to form. There was just so much  **skin** , and the sight reminded Tony just how long it’d been since he’d run his fingers over another person’s body. Needing a physical distraction to readjust his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the phone in his grasp, realizing he’d forgotten to answer Quill’s text. 

“What’s another word for cock?” There was a beat of silence between them, and Tony forced himself to keep his nonchalance going to hide his internal panic. Did he just ask an American icon about dick synonyms? The thought made him want to bury his head under his blankets and suffocate himself. Instead, he gave a shrug, tapping on the conversation he still needed to answer. Already accepting his arc reactor would short circuit from how hard his heart thudded against his ribs, Tony forced his eyes back to the fully flushed face of his roommate. “And for clarification, I’m not talking about a rooster here.” 

“Jesus, Tony.” Red looked good scattered over Steve’s cheeks, and Tony dug his grave a little deeper and grinned. 

“Cat got your tongue, cap? Or did I finally rile your boy scout roots?” He teased because he enjoyed the way Steve squirmed when he was embarrassed. It wasn’t as easy to accomplish as it had been when they first roomed together. The soldier had grown up in the barracks, and from what Steve had told Tony, the Howling Commanders weren’t lily white. Steve still had a sense of modesty, sure, and was uncomfortable talking about certain topics in front of Natasha. But late nights of R-rated movies had gotten the captain to open up a bit about his sexual experiences, though far and few between. Still, blunt things like dirty talk were still far too barbaric for Steve. But Tony had always been the one to push buttons he’d been told not to mess with. 

Plus, seeing how cute Steve looked blushing  **and** getting revenge for his cheese was the best of both worlds. 

“Why would you even ask that?” Steve blurted out, his eyes refusing to meet Tony’s while he hid his lower half behind the doorway. 

“Cause I’ve already said I’d suck Quill’s cock like three different times, and there’s nothing hot about repetition in sexting. So I need another word.” He lifted the phone to wiggle it at his blushing roommate, whose awkward shifting froze the moment the device flashed between them. 

“Wait...sexting, that’s-” The blond scowled at the foreign word, as if he’d swallowed a tart lemon. Tony always enjoyed when his relic of a roommate used modern words, like a little piece of himself had imprinted into the other’s being. It was petty and self-centered, but Tony never claimed to be a good person. “You’re...trying to seduce Peter?” 

“Don’t call him Peter; that makes me think of Pete and yeah,  **no** .” The freshman was a little prodigy of Tony’s, and though he enjoyed his company, thinking of the young brunet in any sexual lens made Tony’s stomach sour. Still queasy over the thought, Tony glanced to the screen to send a half-assed text to keep his victim from losing interest. If he was being honest, his own desire to keep sexting was gone the second Steve smiled at him, but he was too close to give up the mission. “But yeah, sexting Starlord. I wanted to send a text about riding him-I’m told I’m deadly on top-but dick sounds too boring and lovestick is just laughable. I need to say something that will get a guy ready to blow his load the second he reads it. So, gonna help me out, Cap?”

A long stretch of silence made Tony finally look up from his phone, surprised to see his silent roommate staring at the floor. Numerous times, the polite man had told Tony how rude he found their new culture. The main offense? Not looking people in the eye when speaking to them. Tony was one of the worst offenders of this, always shoving his head into new schematics or going over emails between commercial breaks. Through the years, Steve had learned ways to gain Tony’s full attention, and understood how his heightened brain activity made it hard to not multitask. But Steve  **never** dropped his head, even when he thought Tony’s gaze was on something else. 

Seeing the hunched shoulders and the unfocused stare of his roommate left a strange ache in the bottom of Tony’s stomach. Had he pushed the teasing too far? Steve wasn’t delicate, but even he had limits. Was it the fact that Tony was texting a man? They’d never fully discussed sexuality, but Steve had been around the genius when he flirted with both genders. It’d gotten him an eye roll or a ‘focus, Iron man’ if they were on the battlefield. The reaction never seemed to matter if it was Clint or Nat he was wasting his attention on. But maybe it did after all. 

“Right, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He hadn’t intended to let the edge of resentment show in his voice, but from how quick the blond jerked his head back to look at Tony, he was sure it came through. 

“Uncomfortable?” 

“Kind of obvious to see that you’re not waving the rainbow flag around at the gay pride parade. Being into dicks up your ass wasn’t really 40s approved, so I get it.” Using his joke as a deflection of his pain, Tony typed in the code he’d programmed into Starlord’s phone to activate his final part of his plan. He had wanted to wait until Quill ready to cum in his pants before he set off the blaring ‘Ovesta za sir!’ chant on his phone. Knowing the pilot always wore pants that suffocated his body, it’d make it impossible to hide his boner while Fury screamed at him. There was a chance that the teacher may even catch Quill’s ‘problem’, and the thought originally made Tony grin in victory. But Steve’s reaction had completely deflated the glow he’d been feeling over his revenge, so he set off his trap before tossing his phone to his bed and glancing for his shoes. “Don’t sweat it; not gonna make a big deal about it.” 

“Hey, I-I don’t have a problem with it.” Steve’s protest did little to soothe the ache, Tony sending a dismissive wave toward the bathroom doorway while he snagged the sneakers from beside his bed. 

“Right. I’m gonna go grab a sub from the cafeteria. I think there’s a buy one get one free deal going on. You like the BLT sub, right?”

“Yes but-”

“Perfect.” He tugged at the shoelaces harder than necessary, but the need to get out of the stuffy dorm room had him jumping to his feet and ignoring the pins and needles in his toes. “I’ll go grab that while you de-stink yourself, and we can have dinner together. Win-win.”  

“Tony.” A clammy hand caught his wrist before he could move away, making the back of his knees knock into his bed from the sway. He kept on his feet, sending a glare to the towel-clad captain now standing tall in front of him. The close proximity of their bodies felt charged with the lack of clothing donning Steve’s body, but Tony winced at the thought. It was wrong to think of his friend, who had made it clear he carried strong feelings about Tony’s sexting of a man, in a sexual way. “That’s not--I just...it’s not what you think.” 

“You don’t know the first thing about what I’m thinking.” Which wasn’t true, because Steve knew Tony better than most people he’d actually slept with. It was amazing he’d kept his feelings for his roommate secret for so long. Man, how stupid was he? Having a crush on an icon lost to war decades ago had been silly but manageable, since he knew he’d never have a chance with Captain America. But falling for the sweet, stubborn, and super straight Steve? He made Justin Hammer look like Einstein with that move. Feeling a rush of shame hit him, Tony tried to avoid making eye contact while shaking his arm. “Can you let me go? I really need to eat-” 

“I  **can’t** .” A pained emphasis at the tail end of the interruption paused Tony’s excuse, the engineer focusing his brown stare on the tense bare shoulder in front of him. “Not until I prove to you that it really doesn’t bother me.”  

“How you gonna do that? You gonna sweep me off my feet and confess your undying love for me?” Angry and desperate to escape the moment, Tony stepped fully into Steve’s space and pressed his hand on the firm skin of his roommate’s stomach, slowly curling his fingers over the hip barely covered by the terrycloth. His toes tingled from lost circulation when he rose to the tips of them, needing the height for his new plan. He ignored the shiver he felt under his touch and he let his lowered voice slip against the shell of the flushed ear in front of him. “You gonna talk dirty to me, baby?” 

“Tony.” The gasped call of his name caused fire to race through Tony’s veins, his cock rushing to hardness despite how his heart ached. Aiming to make Steve uncomfortable enough to end the conversation, Tony moved his fingers up the sturdy ribcage of his roommate and hummed in obvious pleasure.

“You call my name real pretty, Cap. Bet it’d sound even better when you cum inside me. That what you want? To feel me tighten around you while begging for you to fuck me harder?” Unable to listen to the voice of reason which reminded him how stupid this was, Tony let his fingers drag up the other man’s ribs, feeling the muscled abs he’d had more than one dirty dream about. “Or do you want to slide down my throat and hear me choke on your cock? You’re always telling me I talk too much; maybe you should fill my mouth with something. Seems like a good way to get me to shut up.” 

A charged second passed between them, as if a summer storm was rolling in to shatter the dry air in the room. Tony’s breathing felt heavier than normal, brushing against the temple of the man who was tense in front of him. The engineer’s free hand was held captive in Steve’s grasp, though the grip hadn’t tightened throughout his dirty talk. For a moment, Tony closed his eyes, hoping his own feelings for his roommate hadn’t seeped through his playboy facade. The full frontal attack was meant to mar and scare, to force Steve into a quick retreat-

“I...like the sound of your voice.” A warm touch under the hem of his shirt made the genius shiver, eyes squeezing tighter to keep himself from moaning. By the time Tony had blinked his eyes open, the hand was sliding along the links of his spine, fanning the flames that had already started to singe deep down in his stomach. The words being spoken were softer around the edges than Tony’s, but had a conviction that refused to be argued with. What really had made the genius tremble was how the declaration was brushed against his jaw. “And if I...if I was the fella you were-I’d never do something that’d keep me from hearing your pleasure.” 

“Oh,” Tony forced out through a groan, knees wobbling. Steve’s lips traced the slope of his neck with the smallest tease of pressure, and the brunet couldn’t stop the sharp breath he blew into his roommate’s ear. A part of him wasn’t sure he’d really felt the touch, but the warm air pushed against the sensitive skin caused goosebumps. Mutual shivers were shared from the action, kickstarting Tony’s hand into motion. Greedy fingers rushed to travel the planes of the captain’s chest, his palm grazing the nipple in its path. Tony discovered speaking against the spot behind the soldier’s ear made Steve’s hips twitch, and he forced his voice to steady. “You’d wanna hear me moan for you? Beg for you to take me apart with your fingers and mouth? Would you tease me until the only thing I could think of was your tongue sliding inside me? Is that what you’d want?”

“I’d wanna know everything; I’d wanna hear what’d make you feel good.” Fingers explored the short hairs at the base of Tony’s neck, the shirt scraping the strong forearm that had rucked it up in its quest for more skin. The exposed skin wasn’t cold, flushed from touches that the engineer had only expected to feel in his fantasies. The dirty talk that’d he’d tried to use in order to escape the conversation was turned into affectionate words by Steve, and Tony’s head was spinning from pleasure and confusion. Steve spoke like everything was more than hypothetical.  His thumb dripped lust with each stroke across the brunet’s sensitive skin. Blue eyes were lowered away from sight, seeming enchanted by the collarbone previously blessed by sweeps of Steve’s lips. 

“Fuck, you’d make me so feel so good. Get me nice and messy for you. You’d make me crave your touch. I’d want to ride you until I couldn’t walk the next day.” And suddenly, the engineer was in no mood to stand. Tony’s back was greeted by rumpled sheets with a slow calculation, and Steve followed his enticing movements willingly. As if tangled in a trance, their bodies moved higher onto the bed, slim hips slow to roll into the space that Tony’s parted thighs left open as an invitation. 

The warm chest pressing into his arc reactor should have induced a moment of panic in Tony; even in his days of countless lovers, it was rare that he’d allow anyone to press so intimately against the core that kept his heart beating. But Steve’s weight was a pressure he suddenly craved, brown eyes flickering to the quickened pulse in the pale neck above him. Tech-savvy fingers crawled up the strong back eagerly, feeling the intricacies of the strained muscles now holding the super soldier above him. Heat and something unnamed spread through the atmosphere the two had created, Tony’s arousal struggling to break through his jeans in need. More than anything, he wanted to press flush against the body mere inches above his own. 

“Tony.” The call of his name had been soft, a hot hand sliding out from under his back to take up a new residency on Tony’s outer thigh. Even though the fabric, Steve’s palm felt like fire, desire splintering into his skin. 

The need to preserve any semblance of friendship was being swallowed by the years of pining, leaving no room for logic or regret. Instead, Tony clung to the shoulders above when hips lowered into his own, his breath catching from the hard heat now rubbing against him. Knees pressed into the sturdy waist, nearly jarring the delicate towel, and the genius couldn’t stop the arch of his back at the sensation. His head turned to press his cheek into the firm mattress, moaning at the soft palm sliding down the sensitive skin of his forearm. Their breathing was mingled and shaky, hips eagerly rocking against one another in unspoken need. Words were what started the surreal experience, but Tony’s mind was too muddled with pleasure to think about speaking again. 

Everything felt heightened, like an exposed nerve. Steve’s warm exhales traveled between his clothed shoulder and exposed neck, making Tony yearn for more. His skin drank in the brushes of lips and exploration of Steve’s fingers under his shirt,  arching his body when the hand slid onto his stomach. A pleased noise broke through his mouth, slender fingers zipping down the soldier’s spine to encourage more touches. The response had the captain’s throat vibrating with a rumble that swayed between a growl and a purr, but the unidentified sound had Tony’s toes curling in pleasure. Needing stability, he lifted his head to pressed his open mouth to the naked shoulder over him, teeth brushing against the flesh when a strong roll of hips stole his breath.

“Fuck,” he gasped out, thighs clenched against the hips he desperately needed to rut harder against him. The pleasure was building in his cock, and he felt the sticky fabric of his boxers rubbing into his sensitive tip. He hadn’t been with another person in so long, yet Tony couldn’t chalk the strong feelings of desire to lack of sexual encounters. His fist and fingers had been a fine substitute when Steve hung out with Bucky or went to Fury’s weekly meetings. But no encounter, alone or with partners, had ever turned him inside out like this. The intensity that sparked in his veins when his roommate jerked into him was because it was  **Steve** , something Tony had never expected to hold. The muscles over him were barely trembling despite lifting Tony’s hip to better move against, the elusive mouth of the captain now skimming across Tony’s temple. 

Closing his eyes, Tony’s tone pleaded with the same intensity as the words falling from his mouth. “Please-so good, you feel-oh God, right there. Please keep fucking moving like that-”  

“Tell me what you need.” The demand lacked any authority, fueled by basic desperation that he’d never heard leak through his roommate’s voice. It was irresistible, and he moaned as his arousal throbbed in its denim prison. 

“You, sweetheart, I need you. I need your fingers inside me or around me. And I need to feel your cock against mine without anything between us.” He made his point clear with a hard tug to the flimsy towel, nearly crying when he felt the soft fabric falling from its delicate position. How it’d managed to cling on for so long was a mystery in itself, but Tony’s mind was too filled with wanting naked skin against his own to give it a second thought. The blue fabric pooled against the front of Steve’s body, keeping the v of his hips covered from inquisitive eyes. Whining when realizing his true goal was still hidden, Tony settled for running his fingers down the newly exposed skin of the super soldier’s ass. 

A heavy groan was followed by a sharp bite on the engineer’s earlobe, something that had never wound the engineer up until Steve did it. The possessive grip that captured and lifted his hips jolted a strike of hot desire through Tony’s dick. He needed out of his jeans yesterday, the thumbs holding him barely slipping past his beltline. It felt like a tease, and after dreaming of this particular guy’s hands on him for so long, the genius whimpered. For the first time, the fear of coming in his pants was lingering in the back of his mind. Hoping to eliminate the problem, he wiggled his hips in the strong grasp, leaning his head back on the lopsided pillow behind him to moan. Noises seemed to be the weakness of Captain America, causing the hand on his thigh to trail toward the sensitive inner flesh on the brunet’s body.  

A gentle pressure on his cheek pulled Tony’s attention away from the movement, leaning into the warm hand cradling his face. For the first time since he’d uttered the dirty words to Steve, their eyes met. Blue irises were devoured by black pupils, cheeks flushed with either arousal or embarrassment. From the heat that throbbed against him through the towel, Tony knew it was at least a mix. But despite the heat in the air, Steve watched him quietly, a softness that rarely showed itself with the emotionally stunted super soldier. Punching Nazis and giving patriotic speeches he could do, but vulnerability? Not his strong suit. So the surrealness of the moment made Tony’s breath hitch, wondering why his heart was suddenly lodged in his throat. Swallowing some of his nerves, the genius brushed his tongue over his lips and caught the other’s gaze flickering down to his mouth. 

“Cap?” Suddenly, there was a shift of emotion reflected in Steve’s response that Tony hadn’t expected; pain. It bloomed suddenly, and caused confusion to tear through the brunet. What part of their current predicament hurt his captain? From his physical responses, and the hand moving on Tony’s thigh, he wasn’t planning to stop. Even now, as the engineer’s brain tried to understand the shaky thumb brushing under his eye, Steve’s other hand wasn’t idle. The sensual slide of the soldier’s palm against the hardness under Tony’s jeans had blurred his from pleasure. Everything felt right, but Steve’s wince had tainted the desire that flowed through Tony’s body. He slid his hand from the broad back, traveling across the shoulder to slid up his roommate’s sweaty neck. Tony’s fingers touched Steve’s clenched jaw, which made him hesitate to mirror the comforting touch the blond had given him. 

For the second time their eyes met, and suddenly, a thought popped into Tony’s head. They hadn’t even kissed. Humped like dogs, sure, but there had been no exchange between their lips. Even the brushes of collar bones and mouths on shoulders weren’t really kisses. Was the lack of intimacy the reason Steve was so hurt? It was stupid and cheesy, but it made Tony’s heart flutter in a way it hadn’t since he had his first kiss in the fifth grade. Cap wanted to kiss him.  **Steve** wanted to kiss him. Grinning despite his nerves, Tony dropped an elbow to the bed in order to push closer to the still guy perched over him. Kissing was easy, kissing could be pretty good foreplay, and kissing Steve-

Was interrupted by his phone ringing. 

“No no  **no** .” Tony’s miserable moan jerked the blond back, which was the exact opposite intention for his protest. Sweat that had been non-important suddenly came to the forefront of his mind, feeling the way his shirt clung uncomfortably against his chest. His stomach was cool, at least, as the skin was still exposed by Steve’s earlier exploration. Tony gave a death glare to the phone now blaring a song he was positive he didn’t program into it. Growling, Tony begrudgingly ignored the twitch against his thigh to snag the phone, his irritation bubbling over at the ‘Cheese Thief’ now flashing on his screen. 

Of  **course** it was him. 

“I’m busy,” He snarked out, hoping his irritation would be enough to get the other to hang up.

“Dude, not cool!” The brunet jerked the phone back from his ear at the pilot’s loud voice, listening to his rant from a distance. “You just made me pop a fucking boner in Fury’s class. He just screamed about ‘keeping our “urges” cool in the field’ for like, ten minutes. What the hell?” 

“Last time I checked, Starlord, I wasn’t the only one dirty talking. And now we’re even for what you did to me in the kitchen.” 

“I thought the kitchen was a good thing! I was giving you a hand, man.” 

“God, you are so lucky you’re good looking if that’s what you think helping someone out looks like.” By the time he glanced back to Steve to roll his eyes at Quill’s idiocracy, the blown pupils that had been so enticing were back to normal. And the awkward awareness of their position dropped like a bomb. The look that settled over Steve’s face wasn’t disgust, but lacked any of the soft, needy expression he’d seen moments ago. The hand that’d felt so right on his cheek dropped back to the bed, making Tony scowl. Suddenly, his phone was the least of his worries. “I’ve gotta go.” 

“You owe me a lunch date,” Quill replied, and Tony would have given him the entire state of Florida if he’d just shut up. 

“Fine.” Ending the call, Tony tossed the phone to the side in order to focus on the roommate on top of him. The tension was thick between them, and nerves had Tony’s mouth moving without permission. “Sorry, you know how that guy is. Can blow up a planet if he tries hard enough, but can’t keep it in his pants.” 

“Right.” The clipped tone was a blaring warning sign over Steve’s head, but Tony didn’t have time to reach for him before the blond pushed off the bed. 

“Where are you-”

“I’ve gotta take my shower and meet Sam to study.” 

“I thought we were getting dinner?”  **And talking about what just happened** was close to leaving Tony’s mouth, though he’d bit his tongue instead. Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it, still trying to understand how they’d gone from arguing about homophobia to rutting on his bed. Steve paused in the doorway of the bathroom, and Tony wished he could catch a peek at his roommate’s face. Instead, he was presented with the soldier's back, which looked tense and ready for battle. Except it was only them in the room, and Tony didn’t like the implication lurking under the surface. Steve took a slow breath before finally glancing back to Tony, giving a smile that paled in comparison to the real thing. 

“Sorry, forgot about Sam. Maybe tomorrow?” And then Steve stepped into the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind him. Stunned, Tony tried to focus on any of the emotions playing pinball in his chest. Steve didn’t just forget things; he had the memory of an elephant shot up with super serum. Probably twice. It was almost painful to think his roommate would use such a flimsy excuse to avoid him, but hadn’t that been one of Tony’s fears? That Steve would freak out and run? And yet when they had been pressed together, with their fingers trailing over each other’s skin, Steve felt like he was enjoying it. So what did that mean? 

He wanted to analyze it more, but a slight shift in his seating on the bed reminded the genius of one glaring problem; he was hard. A problem Steve had shared with him. And the only person he wanted had just locked himself in the shower instead of exploring the new discovery together. He glanced to his lap, and he groaned when realizing how uninterested he was in dealing with it on his own. Instead, he pushed off his bed, thinking of Fury in a bikini while yanking his jacket over his shoulder. He wanted to be out of the room before Steve emerged again. So he escaped to his second home, swinging his lab key card around fingers he  **didn’t** want to wrap around something much bigger and firmer than the flimsy plastic. He smacked his forehead at the distracting thought, he mumbling to himself as he walked to the science building.

Maybe there he could figure out what had just happened between them. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony talks with Quill, learns of a rumor, gets his heart broken, and gets to watch Ghost Shark in a red-head burrito. 
> 
> It's been a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah this was meant to be posted yesterday but I got distracted with my Kinktober prompts! If you haven't seen em yet, please go check em out and show me some love. Every comment keeps me going! Without further adieu, let's get this party started.

Tony’s morning had been...weird. It wasn’t unusual for the genius to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Mornings were created as the bane of human existence, after all. But it could normally be righted with a strong cup of coffee or being elbows deep in a project. It was even better when he was able to combine the two before Pepper yelled at him for skipping homework. But the biggest cup of Colombian mix barely budged the terrible mood, and upgrading Dum-e’s hard drive did little to lift his spirit. By the time lunch had rolled around, the brunet was positive his day was a wash.

He blamed Steve, mostly. The blond had made it quite clear that everything was  **normal** between them, coming back from his ‘study session’ with Sam and offering to throw in a movie before bed. They shared the computer and popcorn like Steve’s hand hadn’t been on Tony’s dick with nothing but a thin pair of jeans between them. The casual ease of their night together didn’t feel fake, and that almost hurt the scientist more. Had what they done been so easy to push aside? Sure he hadn’t wanted radio silence, because getting the cold shoulder from the Captain was never fun, but this? His perfect smile and breezy morning conversation giving no sign of the strange interaction the night before? 

It was so much worse, and kept him from joining his normal lunch table to stew in his own misery. He could see Sam chatting with Bucky if he turned to his left, and could practically feel Natasha’s eyes boring into the back of his head. She was going to corner him about his avoidant behavior, he knew, but he refused to think about it yet. Steve’s voice floated in and out of his hearing range, demur volumes replacing his normally steady voice. It was a temptation to look, to see if the soldier’s face would show the same confusion or discomfort Tony had felt since waking up. Instead, he ducked his head lower, hoping the black cloud over his head would be a warning to those who wanted to approach him.  

“I’d say I’m happy to see that miserable look in your face, but I know it’s not for me.” Tony glanced up from the subpar lunch he’d been given, watching Quill plant his butt on the table next to his tray. “Do Starks even feel guilt?” 

“When it’s deserved. Not for theives,” Tony replied, keeping his shrug casual when poking the fries he was sure had lost their warmth. 

“Alright alright, I get it; don’t touch Tony’s cheese wheel.” The edge to the pilot’s voice was nicked with a tease that Tony was used to hearing in his own quirky responses. It dragged a grin out of the genius, and he rolled his eyes while pushing his elbow into the snickering man’s thigh. 

“Next time, you’ll get a repulsor to the dick.”

“You know, that’s not as threatening as I think you wanted it to be. I do work with Gamora on a daily basis.” The bright smile of Quill was disarming, and the genius didn’t lean away when his younger company pushed to drop down onto the bench beside him. “Though if you’re going to tease again, maybe we should move back to my dorm room.”

“Pass,” Tony dismissed easily, hating the way his eyes flickered to the table he normally reigned king. Blue eyes weren’t focused on him, but the conversation now being shared between Clint and Wanda. And it made sense, since Tony had made it a point to separate himself from the group. Why  **would** Steve be looking at him? His sigh was silent, but dropped his shoulders from the release of breath, which left his truth out in the open.

“You still haven’t tapped that yet?” The tact that Quill lacked was expected, the arm propped on Tony’s shoulder lacking any ulterior motives. “I thought you two would have jumped each other’s bones years ago. The tension’s pretty gross.” 

“Can’t be worse than you and Gamora. You get the balls to ask her on an actual date yet?” Tony smirked at how quickly the arm on his shoulder tensed, giving him the answer he’d sought without saying a word. 

“Come on, that’s completely different! She threatens my life on a daily basis, and you and Cap are practically married. Plus, I’m building up to it; you’ve been practicing your love confession to the American dreamboat since you were like, four.”

“You sure it ain’t you being scared?” Tony taunted, snickering at the pink that bloomed at the tips of the pilot’s cheeks. The thing that the engineer enjoyed most about talking to the tacky man was getting the upper hand in their playful banter. 

“Like you have room to talk.” The dry tone in the newcomer’s voice had Tony pouting, knowing without looking up who had come to ruin the only fun he’d had through the miserable day.  Rhodey arched an eyebrow while stopping on the other side of the table, his arms crossed to show his lack of enthusiasm. “Both of you are pretty pathetic if you ask me.” 

“Yeah, but I’d man up way before Stark would.” Quill’s quick reply made Tony snort, turning his body to face the pilot head on.

“You’d lose that bet every time,  **Starlord** .” The twitch of the thigh pressed to his own proved the tactic still worked, despite the horrible ramifications Quill’s libido had gotten him into the previous day.  

“I’d win it.” It was a weak reply, and Tony seized on the moment to smirk. 

“You wanna put your money where your mouth is?” The statement seemed to snap the pilot back into the moment, Quill grinning before boldly tapping Tony’s lower lip. 

“Funny you should mention that. I always heard Starks had the best mouths on them; was hoping to test that theory out  **thoroughly** .” It was a ridiculous line that was followed by an eyebrow wiggle and a hip shake that rattled the bench they were sitting on. The whole scene almost made Tony laugh from the corniness. How did this guy get  **any** sex? Then again, with how much he drooled over Gamora, it was a clever way to deflect other partner’s attention while not offending the other party involved. Still, the joke flirting meant that the two of them were still friendly, which was a comforting thought. Tony didn’t always have the best track record of making friends, nevermind maintaining them. Finally playing along with the rouse, Tony leaned into the pilot’s space, a Cheshire grin spilling over his lips. 

“Don’t tempt me with a good time.” 

“Tony, we’re gonna be late to class. That’s the whole reason I came over here to get you,” Rhodey complained with a roll of his eyes, Tony waving his hand at the man now standing beside him.

“Sorry, Rhodey bear, can’t go. Tell Dr. Pym I’m being held at dickpoint, which I must say is the  **best** way I’ve been threatened yet-”

“Yeah, no.” Rhodey’s yank on his ear made Tony yelp, nearly falling off the table holding his weight. “That’s both rude and disgusting.” 

“Rhodey!” But his best friend gave no relief on his grasp at the whine. The genius was forced to follow the tug or lose his lobe, Tony giving the snickering Quill a sarcastic salute while being dragged away. Unconsciously his eyes darted back to his normal table, caught off guard by the blue stare already aimed his way. Steve’s face gave little clue as to his thought process, the look dangling between confusion and discomfort. But even that miniscule hint disappeared within seconds of showing its face, leaving the captain with a look he forced on during battle. Tony had been on the other end of that look many times on the field, but never in school. And he hadn’t even talked to Steve since their morning departure! 

“Darling, I know you’re all about school but can we make a pitstop-” Tony nearly stumbled over the doorway of the cafeteria from the yank on his ear, which showed no sign of apology or slowing down once entering the hallway. 

“No way. Figure out your love life on someone else’s time.” Rhodey’s words gave no hint of leeway, and the genius bit back a groan. Leave it to Tony to have two best friends who thought tardiness was a capital offense. 

“Who said anything about love? I just wanted to ask Cap a question.” 

“Not sure Steve’s in the mood to see you.” The lower voice of a newcomer in the conversation snagged Tony's attention. Sam sat at the desk to his right, and Tony forced down a wince of pain the words brought forth to plaster on a smile. 

“What are you talking about? Capsicle loves me!” The trio made it into the science wing of the academy before Rhodey released Tony’s ear, the genius rubbing the irritated spot before sending a pout his friend’s way. As expected, Rhodey looked unimpressed with the response, dropping down into his seat to show his lack of care.

“Not when you’re making kissy faces with your boyfriend all through lunch,” Sam replied, Tony blinking at the unexpected statement of his teammate.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You and Quill? Been flirting all week from what I hear.” Sam framed the statement casually, but the underlying annoyance was easy for Tony to pick out. It was a rare occurrence for the easy-going pararescue, who left the brooding and snarky comments to Bucky. But it was there, and Tony wasn’t dumb enough to pass it off as coincidence. 

“State your sources; I’d love to know the idiot who thought making such a stupid rumor wouldn’t cost them dearly.” 

“So you’re saying there’s  **nothing** between you two?”

“Wilson, I cannot even begin to tell you every reason there is nothing between us. Quill’s fun when you’ve got sixty feet and a contamination suit between you.” The slight scowl the man returned at Tony’s exaggerated reply lit up the deductive reasoning in his mind. The sidekick had truly trusted the person who had given him the information, which steered away from simple rumors or gossip in the school. Loki could spin a story better than most, but Sam wouldn’t take his word as fact unless giving overwhelming evidence to back it up. Parker could say the sky was green and his honest nature would make even the biggest of disbelievers hesitate to call him on the lie. So who did Sam trust enough to take their word without a lick of real evidence to support it?

He wanted to interrogate his classmate more about the situation, but the bell rang, and Dr. Pym looked far too annoyed to talk over him. He was amicable on his best days with Tony, and the brunet didn’t need to be a genius to know not to press the matter. But the lingering irritation over the new information was distracting. Was Sam the only one who thought that he and Quill (just thinking about it left a weird taste in Tony’s mouth) were getting busy under the sheets? Their joking sexting event couldn’t have been known by many, and it wasn’t the first time that either of them had been in a less-than-flattering situation. He doubted that Quill had ratted him out in class since Fury hadn’t barrelled down Tony’s door to remind him what being a ‘leader’ meant. So where was this coming from? How often did Tony actually talk to the pilot? Maybe once a week during defense tactics with Hill? Quill had his guardians and Tony was co-leader of the Avengers, and though the groups had worked together in the past, it wasn’t common. Every chance they got, the Guardians were leaving earth for a mission or exploration. Sure, Tony wouldn’t call them enemies, but boyfriends? Who would believe that?

The vibration against his thigh shook the genius out of his own thoughts, barely giving Pym a glance before he snuck his phone out. The excuse ‘it might be the president’ always worked if he got caught. Probably better for Steve, but Tony was still a co-leader! And it wasn’t like that very scenario hadn’t happened a time or two before. But when he saw the words from Natasha’s text flash over his screen, Tony’s thoughts of being discreet went out the window.

**Nat: Clint just texted me. Rogers punched Quill across the gym. Thought you’d like to handle this.**

“What the fuck?” His statement interrupted the lecture on particle acceleration, but the engineer could skim over Rhodey’s notes when he was bored in History later. He ignored the shout of his name from multiple sources as he jumped out of his seat, the words ‘Avengers business’ mindlessly sprouting from his mouth when maneuvering out of the classroom. 

If anyone asked, he didn’t run; Tony’s brisk walk was just a little faster than most. He took two stairs at a time when mapping out the quickest route to Director Fury’s office in his head, knowing the trail to the administrator wing far too well. A loose shoestring nearly toppled him over when he swerved into the hallway, catching himself on the lockers that lined the walls. The noise was jarring in the eerily quiet hallway, the lone occupant jerking his head up at Tony’s appearance. 

“Tony? What are you doing here?” Bright blue eyes (which normally held a look of annoyance when meeting in  **this** particular hallway) widened when connecting with brown, making Tony huff and cross his arms. Using his slip up to his advantage like the genius he was, Tony leaned against the lockers, arching an eyebrow to his confused roommate. 

“You thought I  **wouldn’t** find out? Walls talk, Cap, and most agree that we’re a packaged deal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite nice to be on this side of the situation, and I get why you pull that ‘holier than thou’ shit when I get in trouble-”

“I know what I did. I’m ready to face the consequences. You don’t have to be here.” The flat tone implied the soldier wasn’t expecting protest at his ‘suggestion’, but Tony waved his hand to show how little it affected him. 

“And yet here I am.” A moment of silence hung between them, the engineer letting the underlying statement be heard. Though Steve normally agreed with the need to punish Tony for whatever incident landed him in the ‘wall of shame’ chair outside of Fury’s office, he still showed up to give Tony the opportunity to tell him what happened. It did little to calm the bald-headed man’s anger, but there were times that the captain was able to sway Fury’s punishment to just cussing Tony out. And it was nice knowing that there was someone willing to hear his case before throwing him to the one-eyed wolves. 

“...who told you?” Tony felt his heart clench when Steve’s shoulders slouched, losing the fearless leader facade he’d probably had since being kicked out of class. Slowly, the genius walked down the hall, not hesitating to drop down into the seat next to Steve’s. 

“Nat. You do know she’s a spy, right? Giving information is kind of her thing.” His teasing earned him a hint of a smile on his roommate’s face, though it was lost as soon as it showed up. Hoping to get the look back, Tony leaned back in his seat and gently knocked his ankle against Steve’s. It was a small touch, but the taller man didn’t flinch away, which felt like a win to the engineer. “Not gonna lie; when I first read what happened, I thought Clint had just stolen her phone and was pranking me.” 

“Why would he do that?”

“Why does Clint do  **anything** ? Because he’s a troll.” And because the two had seen the random things the professional sharpshooter did when left bored and unsupervised, they shared a laugh. The moment allowed Tony to forget about the conflicting feelings he’d been having since Steve walked into their dorm room the night before. Instead, they were teammates who had long ago learned how to be friends. It was that precious moment of normalcy that fogged Tony’s better judgement, bumping his shoulder into Steve’s to grab his attention again. “Alright, so fess up. Why the hell are we here?” 

“Oh.” And just like that, the good mood between them evaporated. Steve stiffened instantly, pulling away from the small contact between the two and glancing down the hallway. The sudden wall between them was rapid but effective, and Tony scrambled to keep his panic from showing with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“Getting shy on me now, Rogers?” 

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself over.” 

“When my teammate goes berserk on some non-super, non-serumed classmate, I kind of make it my business.” The sharp glare he got from Steve made him scowl. Sure, he wasn’t the biggest fan of team building exercises and braiding each other’s hair, but Tony had been better at looking at things from a team perspective. So the glare given by the soldier was not deserved, at least in his opinion. 

“Quill’s part Spartoi, you know.” There was an edge to Steve’s voice that was piquing a sliver of curiosity in Tony’s mind, but it was quickly smothered over by the burst of irritation he was feeling.

“That doesn’t mean you can treat him like a punching bag. He could have really been hurt, even with his enhanced heritage.” Because he knew just how strong Steve was, and given the right motivation, there was nothing in the whole  **galaxy** that wouldn’t bend under his alluring muscles. 

“Why are you defending him?” The change in focus was sharp enough to leave Tony with whiplash, and he scrambled to understand the grimace streaking over his roommate’s face.

“I’m not!”

“You  **are** .” 

“Unless you’ve gained Maximoff’s powers, you don’t get to tell me what I’m thinking,” Tony snapped out, arms quick to cross over his chest. “And since when have you had an issue with Quill?” 

“Since he started taking advantage of your feelings!” The words were wrapped up in a growl that made Tony’s stomach flip, torn between fear and arousal. Even though he knew it was not the time to get turned on by yet another quality of his roommate, the genius couldn’t help it. Angry Steve was sexy, and if not for the last word of his proclamation, Tony was sure he would have forgotten exactly what it was he was trying to accomplish. 

“Wait, feelings? Why is Quill-nevermind.” Shaking his head, Tony tried to lean closer to the captain in order to make his statement clear. “Let me make this clear for you, and everyone else in this school who is playing the ‘who does Tony Stark love’ game; I’ve only got eyes for one guy right now. He’s an oblivious idiot, apparently, but he’s it for me. Nobody else. And anyone who even thinks they have a chance with me that **isn’t** him is in for a rude awakening.” 

“Then you might wanna let your fella know that,” Steve gritted out through clenched teeth, the rising anger only making Tony’s confusion rise. 

“I thought I did.” Steve had great memory, so the idea that he had forgotten even a moment of the night before was impossible. He had been there, had  **reacted** to Tony, and if not for that stupid phone call, they would have done...something. Wrapping his head around the idea of Steve being sexually interested in him was still a struggle. Thinking about them realistically getting intimate was still a surefire way to short-circuit Tony’s brain. But the look that Steve was giving the floor in front of them made the engineer’s stomach sour, and he struggled to think of something to say to save the trainwreck they were calling a conversation.

“Well right now, he thinks you’re going to put out for anyone in the school.” 

The comment was a sharp knife stabbing straight into Tony’s semi-functional heart. He reeled back in his chair, stunned. For years,  **years** , Steve had been clear that he didn’t care about the rumors or slander spread around about him. Sure, he’d made his mistakes when he was younger. But that was before Steve. It’d been forever since he’d slept with someone, regardless of the stress or pressure put on him from being a part of the Avengers. And Tony had confessed to his friend about the struggle he’d had in facing his past; Steve had never made him feel ashamed. 

Until now. 

“Right.” the word was clipped, keeping any sign of the hot pressure behind his eyes out of his tone. It was pure will that pushed Tony to his feet, breathing becoming a luxury instead of an expectation. Refusing to crumble in front of Steve, the brunet dropped his public grin onto his lips before turning away, determined to keep his voice steady. “Well, I wouldn't be Tony Stark without a slutty reputation, huh?” 

“That’s not who you are anymore.” The passionate statement made Tony laugh, the bitter curve glossing over the despair pounding rapidly in his chest. 

“Says the one calling me school’s bicycle.” 

“I don’t get what that means.” 

“Jesus, Rogers, look it up. I can’t be-I’ve got to go.” Because if he stayed any longer, he was sure he was going to throw up. Tony’s hands shoved into his pockets as he walked down the hall, wishing he had his suit to fly out of the nearest window. Instead, he yanked out his phone, clicking on the second number on his emergency contact. The phone rang like an angry bell in his ear as he dropped down the stairs, hating the uptake in his breathing. The anxiety swelled without permission, and Tony swore as tears momentarily blinded him. He had barely gotten out of the building when the call was answered, the soft voice instantly striking at the ominous feelings sinking into his heart. 

“Tony? Is everything okay? Rhodey said you left class when-”

“Pep, can I come over? Actually stay over, perhaps for the rest of my life if your arachnid of a roommate doesn't try to kill me. I’m all for love bites, but hers have the promise to incapacitate me for far too long.” His words lacked the normal shine they were known for, and it didn’t take much for his red-headed friend to pick up on it. 

“Oh, Tony. Did something happen with Steve?” His movements jerked to a stop on the sidewalk, and he had to force himself to suck in a short breath to keep everything threatening to spill over his barely contained composure. 

“Can’t do this right now.” 

“Right, of course. I’ll pour some-”

“Bourbon?”

“ **Tea** , Tony. And we can camp out on the couch and watch those terrible sci-fi movies you make me keep on my Netflix account.”

“ **Ghost Shark** is a classic.” 

“Of course it is.” The fondness so apparent in Pepper’s voice burned through Tony’s chest, and he swallowed the rush of emotion to return his focus on walking up the dormitory walkway. “Now hurry up and get up here; Natasha says she can see you from the window.”

“She doesn’t have man demasculinizing 101 class with Hill today?” He glanced up at the opened window, knowing the roommate was smirking despite not being able to see her. 

“I’ll see you soon.” The phone chimed to show the call had been disconnected, Tony slipping the device into his pocket before jogging up to the entrance. He flirted with the two RAs while he signed in, though the words tasted chalky in their delivery. Knowing the route by heart, Tony easily maneuvered his way through the hallways and stairwells to get to 145, not bothering to knock when pushing the door open.

“Honey, I’m home!” He sighed jokingly when connecting with the green stare on the sofa, and he made his scoff dramatic when walking to drop down onto the couch next to the spy. “You’re supposed to get rid of the mistress before I get back from bringing home the bacon. Yet here she is, sitting on the couch. Have you no shame, Romanoff?” 

“In this case, wouldn’t you be the hidden lover?” Natasha’s eyes slid back to the television, entering the code needed to access the Netflix account.

“As if anyone would hide me.” 

“How humble of you, Stark.” She played along with the fake bravado, her petite arm casually stretching out on the couch behind Tony. From years of observation, Tony knew an invitation from his teammate when he saw one, and didn’t hesitate to squirm closer to her. The body heat that Natasha exuded despite being so small was impressive, and made her prime real estate for cuddling during moving binges. It had taken some time for the two to get onto the same level that he and Pep or the two roommates had, but Tony didn’t feel the lingering paranoia he’d once held when sharing a couch cushion with the assassin. Dainty fingers that had disarmed hundreds calmed Tony when slinking through his hair, and the engineer felt his body melt under the subtle ministrations. 

“Incoming.” Pepper gave a polite warning when moving from the kitchen balancing the three cups of tea with little issue. 

“Pepper, you are an angel that we pathetic humans don’t deserve.” Tony’s fingers snagged the ceramic mug, pressing his palms to the hot surface. Despite it not being liquor or coffee, the brunet let the drink warm his mouth, humming at the perfect sweetness Pepper always managed to create when brewing the tea. Pepper lacked the same internal furnace that the shorter woman held, but the pressure against his other side was more than welcomed. Her head dropped onto his shoulder, and just knowing her ease in being around him despite his past washed away some of the bite from before. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She was worried, which Tony had been expecting. But her question wasn’t demanding, and he didn’t feel guilt for giving a small noise of protest in response. 

“Not really.”

“Okay.” She snuggled closer to him, taking the offered corner of the blanket Natasha held out. Tucking the other end behind them, the spy started the movie, and Tony hummed in contentment.

“You know, I bet a ton of men would pay an arm and a leg to be a part of this redhead burrito. It could make us rich if we promoted it the right way.” 

“You’re already rich,” the spy answered, Tony huffing while he moved his arm to drape over her thigh.

“More money means more investments. Think of all the new gadgets I could make you, Romanoff.” 

“We’ll be sure to think about it,” Pepper replied, Tony unable to hide his grin when feeling his friend shake her head against him. 

“We could live large. Maybe even hire Fury to be our personal butler or hire Hill as a sexy-”

“If you talk throughout this movie, I will  **make** you be quiet.” He wanted to think that Nat’s threat was idle, but the inconspicuous roll of duct tape sitting on the coffee table in front of them made the threat hold more weight. He grumbled but settled in his spot, eyes pulled to the tacky special effects and terrible acting. It truly was a horrible movie that didn’t deserve a second thought, but that was what Tony enjoyed about it. For ninety minutes, he didn’t have to think about the outside world. Projects, deadlines, and homework had no place in a world where a fish apparition was lurking in every corner. He laughed at the crazy way people met their ends, urged on by the quiet judgemental comments muttered under Natasha’s breath. 

**Ghost Shark** turned into  **3 Headed Shark Attack** , and ended with the classic  **Jaws** (the only shark movie that Pepper claimed to enjoy). The trio sunk into a lull of comfort as the daylight seeped into dusk, before being taken over fully by the cloak of night. Tony wasn’t sure when Chinese food was ordered, but he nearly moaned at the first bite of lo-mein. Phones were left unanswered on the coffee table, Natasha giving a pointed glare any time the genius heard his device vibrate from a notification. Pepper was the exception, though only to inform Rhodey that Tony was safe. Being cut off from the world was strange, but welcomed. And it made Tony’s fatigue from the emotional twenty-four hours catch up to him with little warning. By the time the credits of the third movie rolled through, his eyes struggled to stay open, his head cushioned by Natasha’s soft lap. 

“Pep?” So relaxed from the comfort, Tony’s calling of his friend’s name came out soft and full of drowsy intentions.

“Yes?” 

“Does everyone think I fuck every person with two legs and a heartbeat?” The statement was more vulgar than Pepper deserved, but he knew she was acclimated to Tony’s lack of filter when reeling from an emotional setback. Shifting on the couch, Tony closed his eyes and let his sleep-loosened lips babble. “I know you and Rhodey don’t, but that’s cause you’re my guardian angels or something. It’s not in your capacity. Nat’s Russian, so nothing phases her. But everyone else...God, even Steve thinks I’m a slut.” 

“He doesn’t.” Nat’s answer came easy and with no hint of sarcasm, but the ball of insecurity was rolling, and the genius was too tired to entertain the thought that was he was wrong.  

“Which is fine, because back in the 40s, showing a little bit of ankle was just asking for trouble. They’d take one look at what I wear in the lab and send me straight to the looney bin.”

“They had sex back then,” Pepper replied, which Tony frowned at. 

“Probably fully clothed and with a bible on the dresser. The kinkier folks did it without socks on. Bet they burned those skanks on the cross. Do you think they had porn back then?” 

“Tony.” The soothing voice made Tony pause in his rambling, taking a slow breath when Pepper’s hand rubbed down his back. The memory of Steve’s glare and clenched teeth still ached at his core, but felt less invasive than before. “You’re gonna be okay.” 

“Course I am, I’m a Stark,” he breathed out, as if miles of crippling anxiety weren’t lurking beneath the cracked surface of his sleepy demeanor. 

“Because you’re  **Tony** .” Despite his crazy antics, Pepper always believed that Tony’s brilliance came from within, and had nothing to do with his father’s daunting legacy. He hummed in response to her warm words, feeling her lift off the couch to venture somewhere in the apartment. 

“You’ll figure out what’s going on in that big brain of yours.” Even through her tease, the softened voice proved that Natasha meant what she was saying. Silently, the genius wondered how he’d been so lucky to swindle either redhead into being a part of his makeshift family. 

“Do you think he’ll ever love me? Not like teammates...but how I love him?” Tony’s brain wanted to alert him of  **something** important, but being up for days planning Quill’s revenge and trying to understand Steve’s actions had left him weak. He didn’t protest when the warm lap was replaced with a pillow, Tony burying into the fabric. It smelt like citrus, meaning it came from Pepper’s bed, and it was a comforting scent that dropped him further into the haze of sleep. 

“That’s something you’ve gotta ask him.” Pepper’s voice held a secret edge that Tony wanted to question, but he was too far gone to do anything but sigh. 

“You may be surprised what the answer is, Stark.” Then a gentle kiss was placed on his forehead, casting the engineer into the welcoming darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How could I hurt my baby like that? I love the man so much and yet I always make him go through so much pain!! -sobs- Okay, one chapter left, what will happen with Tony and Steve? What made the super solider punch Quill? And will these two ever get on the same page? Kudos, comments, and let me know how you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Quill's the smartest guy in the room, Tony knows he needs to talk to Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had an explanation for why this took so long. But, uh...I do not. So just enjoy this and I apologize for my brain disappearing for a few months!

Tony had planned to camp out on Pepper’s couch for the rest of his life, but a swift kick in the back from Natasha the next morning proved the evil woman wasn’t letting him hide from his walk of shame. Going to classes had been the easy part, as none of the classes that he had that day coincided with any of Steve’s. Despite concerning looks from Rhodey and Bruce, he refused to look at his phone, which felt like cutting off an arm and leaving it at home. But he knew that a glance to his screen would result in reading the several texts that Steve had sent, and there was no way he was ready to face him yet. He wasn’t sure if it’d be guilt or shame he’d feel, knowing the scolding he’d get from his friend. He hadn’t even told him where he was staying the night before, which meant that Steve would be worried. Though his heart fluttered at what that implied, he squashed it quickly; Steve was a worry wart by nature, and any of his friends not coming back to their rooms would keep him awake at night. He wasn’t special. He couldn’t think of himself that way.

After all, Steve had said Tony would get with  **anybody** . 

So instead, he tried to focus in school, which was a rarity. His teachers looked surprised when he actually raised his hand to answer something without being asked. 

Lunch had been a harder battle to manage. Even if he went into the cafeteria, Steve would no doubt find him. And though he could shut down his phone and ignore his friend’s comments about Steve asking for him, he knew his limits. One glance Steve’s puppy dog eyes, and Tony would be in his control. Then they’d have to talk, and though he knew what was going to come from the conversation, actually facing the end of their friendship was not on his top hundred things to do. So Tony avoided the lunchroom in general, taking his seat on the patio that looked over the campus of the school. It was too breezy and the sun was already irritating his skin, but he ignored it to shove his lunch down. Using the only starkpad not connected to his phone, Tony took bites of his lunch between working on a new armor blueprint. Distracted by his own brain, Tony hadn’t picked up on the approaching figure until their leather-clad ass had dropped next to him on the patio bench. 

“You’re a hard dude to find, Stark.” Quill’s voice only paused Tony’s fingers for a moment before he sighed, slowly dragging the project to the side to save while he closed the application down. Glancing to his left, he whistled lowly at the dark purple bruise that Peter sported over his eye. 

“Hope you got the license plate of the truck that hit you.” Tony’s casual greeting made Quill laugh, and Tony felt some of the tension in his shoulders start to unwind at the ugly noise. Peter was a mess of a human, but he wasn’t someone that oozed danger or serious connotation like most of the people in the superhero business. Tony actually enjoyed his company, when he wasn’t acting like a single-celled moron. 

“Well, when your boyfriend can bench press my weight with one hand, I’d say he’s pretty close to a semi.” 

“My what?” Tony asked, caught off guard by the title. 

“Good old Captain America gave me this beauty.” Realizing it was Steve that Peter was referring to, Tony scrunched his nose, making his dislike of the statement known with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, don’t know if you read the gossip columns, but Steve and I aren’t anything close to boyfriends. Hell, we’re not even speaking at the moment. Cap wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole. So if you called him my plus one, and he socked you one, that’s your fault.” 

“You know for a guy that I’m told is a genius, you sure don’t know much.”  The blunt answer was rude, and that was saying something coming from Tony. Annoyed, he crossed his arms, hoping his arched eyebrow was enough to imply he wanted Peter to correct his statement. Instead, Quill shrugged, leaning over to snag one of Tony’s blueberries while he continued. “He punched me  **for** you.”

“What do you mean, for me?”   

“Well, cause I said we could share you in a threesome.”

“Excuse me?” 

“Relax, bro! I was just yanking his leg cause he’d been glaring at me all gym class. But he took it seriously and made my face his punching bag.” 

“That’s why he- oh.  **Oh.** ” When Steve had said his ‘love interest’ thought Tony was promiscuous, he wasn’t talking about himself. He was remembering Peter’s stupid comment, the reason that Steve had lost his composure and punched Quill. "I’m going to kill you."

“Cap already tried. Remember my face?” Which really was a testament to how angry Steve had been with Quill’s flippant remark. He’d never used his strength against a peer unless they were trying to overthrow the school or it was training, and even then he held back. But from how bruised Peter’s face was, there had been no real restraint. “He said you weren’t someone a person should share. Said if  **he** had the chance, he wouldn’t let me or anyone else near you. So I’d say he wants to touch you with something alright.”

“That’s not possible.” Because his brain could not accept the implication coming from Quill’s mouth. He felt dumber than he wanted to admit, especially in front of someone like Starlord, but words were struggling to formulate an excuse at the outlandish comment.

“You... do know he’s just as crazy about you as you are him, right?” The awkward tone in Peter’s voice showed he didn’t want to be the one to drop the bombshell on Tony. “Man, I thought you two were supposed to be the smart ones. Tactical mastermind and genius my ass.” 

“You can’t tie your shoes without Gamora helping you.” Tony snarked out with less fire than he wanted, pushing up to his feet. He hated that his legs felt wobbly, like the information given had completely blindsided him. But in all honesty, it had, and he wasn’t sure how to fully process it. 

“First of all, that is not always true-”

“I can’t be here right now.” It didn’t take much to leap over the patios’s knee-high wall, ignoring Quill’s question about the rest of his lunch when he stumbled down the hill the patio sat on. He didn’t think about the classes he’d be in trouble for missing or the calls he’d get from Pepper and Rhodey from his sudden disappearance. None of that mattered at the moment; he needed to find a place to ignore what just happened. He couldn’t go to his room without facing the whole problem, and Pepper’s dorm would be inhabited with redheads who would pry far too easily into his heart for him to handle at the moment. So he didn’t think twice about running to the lab, putting in every protocol he could think of in order to make sure that nothing would be permitted to come in. It would be one of the first places that they would look, but without his permission, nothing was going to actually get in and divert his amazing ability to ignore serious moments in his life. Thankful that his mind, even when half-focused and overwhelmed with bothersome emotion, was aware enough to grab his starkpad, Tony pulled the previous blueprints up onto his monitor, working on the suit that he’d been planning before. 

Except despite the mindless physical labor of creating the new suit, his mind was still focused on Quill’s words.

_ “He punched me  _ **_for_ ** _ you.” _

_ “He said you weren’t someone a person should share. Said if  _ **_he_ ** _ had the chance, he wouldn’t let me or anyone else near you.” _

_ “You... do know he’s just as crazy about you as you are him, right?” _

“Damnit!” Tony’s skin burned when the welding gun seared across his skin, Tony jerking away from the heat with a hiss. Shaking his hand in the air wasn’t going to make it feel better, but he couldn’t stop the motion when trying to ignore the pain that pulsed through his flesh. He’d normally work on his suits without proper gear, but it was when his mind was set on getting the job done. But Steve filling his head with fuzzy emotions made him careless, and the palm that was blistering now had paid the price.

“Tony!” His spine straightened when the familiar voice echoed in the lab, Tony jerking his head up from his wound to see the alarmed eyes of Steve taking in his injury. In long, quick strides, Steve was in front of him, his large palms sturdy but kind when flipping the hand over to scan the injury. His thumb was slow to skim under the burnt skin, brushing past Tony’s pulse point and making his breath hitch. “Jeeze, this looks bad. We need to get it under water.” 

“How did you get in here?” Tony asked, too unsure in how to approach the blooming pressure of anxiety in his chest at Steve’s soft caress. He let himself be led to his sink, hissing when the cold water first dropped onto his skin. “I had this place on blackout protocol.”

“Well, after you locked yourself in here for three days last year, JARVIS and I set up our own protocol. If you don’t meet the safety standards of the lab, and you’ve engaged in blackout protocol, I get a message. I have a code that lets me in only under these circumstances.” 

“JARVIS, you are going to the next college fair-ow!” Tony tried to pull his hand back when the water hit another spot on his palm, but a steady look from Steve kept him from flinching when Steve led it back into the water. 

“We did it because we knew we’d need it. Like today, for example.” Then Steve nodded to the palm when he pulled it from the faucet stream, snatching the towel beside it to gently pat down the wound. 

“I hate it when you get sassy. It looks terrible on you.” It was a lie; Steve could have been covered in pig’s blood and Tony would want to climb it him like a tree. He glanced at Steve’s current outfit, wanting to suck in a slow breath when realizing the tight shirt Steve wore was practically painted on his body. How did he even get into his clothes without ripping them? His brain supplied the image instantly, making him bite back a groan and squirm in his spot. As if the emotions weren’t enough, the memory of their last close encounter ran through his mind. 

“Let me wrap that.” 

“Welding burns don’t need to be wrapped.” But he knew his protest would be ignored, and he was directed to sit on the couch before Steve went scourging for supplies. It didn’t take long, Steve knowing the lab far too well for Tony’s comfort. He’d spent far too much time in Tony’s personal space, sinking into another part of him without Tony realizing it. Raw to the new realization, Tony shivered when the warm hand returned to his skin, and Steve froze mid-wrap, hands instantly pulling back from their connection when sitting a cushion away from him.  

“Did I hurt you?” Steve’s words were soft, and Tony shook his head before offering his hand again for bandaging. It was stupid, since seconds before he hadn’t wanted anything to with the first aid, but Steve’s wounded look was far too powerful to deny him. The motion seemed to be enough to ease the hurt in Steve’s gaze, moving back to a comfortable space to finish the wrap. But the tension between them rose. The elephant stormed into the room without warning, and Tony knew when Steve pressed his lips together tighter and nodded, he wasn’t about to avoid it. His eyes didn’t rise from his work when he spoke. “Why didn’t you come home last night?” 

“I needed to get some stuff figured out.” It was the truth, just wrapped in enough vague words to keep from admitting he cried like a baby on Pepper’s couch. 

“Did you... stay with Rhodey?” Steve’s question made his mind flicker back to Quill’s conversation, and Tony’s need to test anything worth investigating pushed him to give a shrug.

“I stayed with a friend.” Steve’s flinch after the comment made Tony’s eyes widen, mouth dropping without a second thought. “Holy fuck, Quill was right.” 

“Quill. Right.” The efficient way Steve finished wrapping Tony’s hand lacked the warmth from before, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that Steve had misunderstood Tony’s broken trains of thought again. Panicked, Tony leaned forward, cupping Steve’s face in his hands to keep him from pulling away. 

“Nope, you’re not running away from this again.” 

“You ran from me-”

“Not important,” Tony dismissed easily, keeping his stare serious when looking up at Steve. “Because right now? We are the dumbest intelligent people I know.” 

“What?” The confusion was charming on Steve’s furrowed brow, and Tony had to bite back the urge to kiss it when he laughed.

“Don’t get me wrong, Quill is still far worse. Like, seriously, he makes Clint look like Einstein.” 

“Is there a point to this?” Steve asked, the scowl on his lip showing his displeasure of the current route of the conversation. And bringing up Quill probably wasn’t his best use of his IQ, but Tony needed to homer the sentiment home. 

“You think Quill’s my  **fella** , right? The one I was talking about yesterday?” Tony’s questions didn’t need a verbal response; the painful flash of expression that crossed over Steve’s face was more than enough to show he thought the statement was true. Disliking the look, Tony pushed up to his knees on the couch. It gave him the right angle to lean over Steve, keeping their eye contact when he continued. “It is not, nor will it ever be, Peter Quill. I should be horrified that you thought I’d want anything romantic with him.” 

“But you were sexting him!” Steve blurted out, outlining his thoughts like Tony had predicted he would. “And you defended him, when he was saying those crude comments about you. And then you had lunch with him-” 

“Should I be worried, how aware you are of my endeavors with other men?” Tony had to tease, because his heart was racing from how right Quill had been. He grinned when Steve blushed, and couldn’t stop his thumbs from tracing the warmed skin when he hummed. “Or should I be flattered that I’m on your mind so much? Cause I kind of like that.” 

“Tony?” Finally, the final specs of disappointment disappeared, the first glimmer of hope peeking out in his gaze.   

“Quill ate my cheese; the texting prank was me getting my revenge. It wasn’t anything like...like what we were doing that night. That lunch date we were having was us calling a truce, which was just him admitting I’m amazing and won the war. But romance? Not even if you paid me. Plus, if I wanted to sext someone I was into, I’d never ask someone else for help. That’s tacky, even for me.” 

“Okay,” Steve answered, and it was a relief to see how easily Steve believed in him. Even in their moments of turmoil, he never gave up on Tony, seeing the positives in his hopeless self. “So the fella you’re into-” 

“The  **actual** guy I’m crazy about, the one I’ve been wanting to send dirty texts and distract with my amazingly good looks, is blonder and a lot more patriotic than Starlord.” He made sure to run his fingers up the side of Steve’s face to brush into the soft hair, giving it a tiny tug that paired with his smirk. “And I think he’s kinda into me, too.” 

“Yeah, he is.” Then Steve’s eyes glanced to the door, Tony nearly choking on his spit when he spoke again. “But I should go apologize to Peter-”

“Oh no.” Tony’s legs swung over Steve’s lap when he tried to get off the couch, and he held back a hum of interest when hands grasped the back of his thighs to keep him from falling. “You’re not going anywhere.” 

“Tony,” he reprimanded, though Tony didn’t let the scold bother him when he grinned. 

“I’ve been dreaming of having you for years, and that little nibble you gave me in your entirely too small towel has been mental torture. You promised you’d take care of me; so do it.” 

“You’re impossible.” Yet the tone that Steve held was breathless, not annoyed, and Tony counted it as a win. Grinning, Tony leaned forward, lips eager to taste the mouth he’d been staring at more often than he wanted to admit. When they had collapsed onto one another that fateful night of miscommunication, they hadn’t managed to share a kiss. Now, with Steve’s mouth gently coaxing his to part, it felt they’d been kissing for years. Tony’s spine shuddered with want as he pressed down on the lap he’d straddled, hands pressing closer to the cheeks in his hold to angle Steve’s face up. Despite the heat that quivered in his stomach, he couldn’t get the kiss to dive any deeper, Steve taking his time to fully taste each inch of Tony’s mouth. It coaxed a whine between their lips and tongues, which melted into a purr after Steve’s hips jerked up under his own. Finally, Steve pulled him closer, tilting his head to the left to fully entrap Tony’s lips with his own. 

Being his roommate meant that he knew how often Steve went out with other people romantically, and his large number of **zero** meant he shouldn’t have been able to melt Tony’s brain like he was. The hands on his hips were steady and grounding, which he needed when Steve’s tongue teased along his own. It was a shy but determined sensation that had Tony’s stomach clenching, hips trying to wiggle down onto the heat that was starting to form beneath him. Tony’s fingers couldn’t stay still, hiking into Steve’s hair to try and tug him into motion. Though the soft grunt of air pressed to his mouth proved that Steve enjoyed the attention, he didn’t get the hint, and Tony finally broke the kiss to scowl down at the flushed face. 

“You okay?” The sentiment was nice, really, but Steve was far too coherent for Tony’s liking. He made sure to run his tongue over the swollen lower lip he was now sporting, smirking at how quickly Steve’s eyes flickered down to watch the motion. 

“If you could see what was in my mind right now, you’d know I was more than okay,” he teased, letting one hand drop from its perch in blond hair to smooth over Steve’s chest. “But after that little dirty talk session we had, I really need you to be naked right now.”

“That wasn’t even dirty,” Steve grumbled, cheeks flaming with heat as Tony’s eager hands yanked the bottom of his shirt up. He got the fabric stuck under Steve’s armpits, but he didn’t think to care when staring down at the new expanse of skin in front of him. Sure, he’d seen Steve without clothing far more times than he could count, because they were roommates. He wasn’t allowed to really look, and even when he did, it was only for a few seconds at a time. But having Captain America debauched on his couch felt  **dirty** in the best way possible. Steve seemed to have a similar mind, his hands losing their rigid position on Tony’s hips to slide the grease-stained shirt up Tony’s torso. The gentle brush of fingertips up his sides was enough to make Tony moan, eyes fluttering shut from the tease of pleasure. He didn’t fight the yank of his shirt over his head, helping to throw the offending fabric to the other side of the lab before leaning down to kiss Steve again. It was quicker, only a deep press of lips before Tony leaned forward, mouth curving along Steve’s ear.

“Do you ever think about that night?” Tony’s breath sucked in sharply when Steve’s hips arched into his, the hardness hidden in the other’s pants clearly showing his approval of Tony’s lowered voice. Instinctively, Tony spread his legs wider, rocking back against the grind to feel the surge of lust wash through his blood. Then his lips descended down the strong jawline, finding a new home against Steve’s neck.

“Yeah, I-” The swallow rumbled against the open-mouthed kiss Tony gave Steve’s pulse, hands sliding down Tony’s back before hesitating at the hem of his jeans. “Broke three bags before I could calm down enough to come back to the room. Didn’t wanna see ya texting another fella after…” 

“Then let’s pretend I didn’t.” Quill was going to be a sensitive subject, and Tony was feeling too much pleasure to let the idiot get in the way for a third time. Using his creativity, Tony pressed his chest to Steve’s, rolling his hips down slow enough to get a muffled groan in response. Then he let his wicked tongue slid along the column now tinged with sweat, words branding the feverish skin. “Let’s talk about if I didn’t get a call. What would you have done to me, Steve?”

“Been with you, just like this.” The statement was vanilla, but the thumb slipping under his waistline was a jolt to Tony’s nerves. He reached between them, easing the unbearable pressure by yanking the button of his jeans open, growling in annoyance at the zipper’s struggle to lower. He knew he wasn’t getting off Steve’s lap to fully remove his pants, so he shoved the jeans to the top of his thighs, not hesitating to stroke his cock when pulling himself from his boxers. It was obvious that Steve was watching him, and Tony made sure to lean his head back slowly, giving a full view of his fingers playing along the underside of his tip. 

“I’ve wanted to feel you for years. I want your mouth, your fingers, your cock inside me. Press me into your bed and fuck me hard enough to knock my IQ down a few points. Want you to make me yours, Cap.” Dirty words rolled out without a second thought, lacking the effort he’d needed when trying to prank Quill. Instead, his whole body wound tighter in desire, his hand quickening at the mental image of Steve holding him down and pressing inside of him. He took a shuddering breath, eyes locking on Steves before he smirked. “Quill said you wouldn’t let anyone touch me if you got the chance, yet here I am, having to fuck myself. You gonna do something about that?”

“God.” His hand was batted away when hot lips found his again, tongue not hesitating to dive back into Tony’s mouth with enough dominance to make Tony moan. The steady grip circling his hardened arousal nearly set him off, and he dug his nails into his palm to stave off the orgasm. His hips didn’t stop moving, trying to rut harder into the palm that used his precome to slide down his cock with ease. Tony had the experience, despite his dry spell, and yet Steve’s slow and calculated touch was overwhelming his senses. His hands jerked down Steve’s torso, thankful for the sweatpant’s lack of buttons. The smooth skin under his fingers was a pleasant surprise, glancing up to the flushed face of Steve with a coy grin. 

“Captain America going  **commando** ?” He snickered at the roll of Steve’s eyes before a squeeze around him made him gain focus on his goal of getting to their main event. Their mouths were like magnets, continuing to find one another with a pull that felt too natural for their first time. But each connection had a different edge to it; from sweet to savory, light brushes to ones that melted into desperate pressure and hips pressed tighter together. 

The bare skin against the back of his thighs made air skip past his lungs, Tony pulling back from the devious mouth in order to try and suck in a needed breath. His hand fumbled down to find Steve’s, encouraging the larger hand to wrap around both of them and squeeze. The first slide of Steve’s fingers had their bodies shuddered as one, Tony’s mouth groaning before dropping to Steve’s neck to muffle the noise. His body was live-wired, jerking and grinding into the steady rhythm Steve provided them. Tony’s mind was fuzzy with pleasure, but he didn’t fight it, letting the soft moans by his ear wind him higher. The orgasm he’d been teetering on was brimming with readiness, ready to pour out any moment. 

“Need to feel you,” Tony gasped out, his free hand dancing over Steve’s spine arched away from the sofa. “Let go, sweetheart, wanna feel your come on me.” 

Steve’s body didn’t hold back at Tony’s dirty command, and his mind whirled when feeling the first spray of Steve’s orgasm roll over him. Strong hips nearly jostle him off Steve’s lap from the force of their movement, but Tony’s quick grasp onto Steve’s shoulders kept him in place. Feeling his best friend, his partner, Captain  **Fucking** America, fall apart under him was a power trip Tony didn’t know he needed until now. It was addictive, making his own need to come double. But it wasn’t until a slow kiss, too gentle and sweet to be anything but romantic, was pressed to his temple, that Tony’s mind shattered. His teeth sunk into Steve’s clothed shoulder when he choked on his orgasm, grateful that Steve hadn’t stopped his hand from stroking him through the overwhelming sensations. His thighs trembled and twitched from the strain of holding himself up for so long, but instantly gave out when Tony fell forward and slumped against Steve’s chest with a groan. 

Silence fell between them for nearly a minute, which Tony was sure was a record, before he rolled his forehead into the crook of Steve’s sweaty neck. 

“Just in case I didn’t make this clear enough,” Tony mumbled, lips brushing the warm skin of his collarbone when he spoke. “I like you.” 

“I couldn’t tell.” The dry tone that Steve rarely used in front of others was paired with a slight squeeze around Tony’s oversensitive base, making him whine and squirm away from the touch. “I like you too, Tony.”

“Good, fantastic. Great when we ya know, agree on things; gets us orgasms. We should go agree on more things in our apartment, maybe for the next 24 hours or so.” Tony wasn’t sure he could go again at the moment, but the long walk back would give him time to catch up. “Do you like cheese? Cause if we both like cheese, that’s totally an agreement which means another round of this-” 

“After we get a shower and some food, you mean.” The calm tone in Steve’s answer had Tony scoffing, but the words he planned to use in reply were swallowed when Steve kissed him again. This time, the firm pressure of Steve’s lips was a surprise, tilting Tony’s head back from the confidence Steve had. Their mouths were bruised from their previous actions, but the affectionate way Steve’s clean hand rose to smooth against Tony’s cheek made his heart thud harder in his chest. There was no tongue or sexual undertone, which made the intimacy more vulnerable. Like Steve was enjoying Tony not for sex, but simply for the feelings he had for Tony. It was a strange sensation, but Tony’s greedy lips took each inch they could get, nearly following Steve’s mouth after he pulled away. 

“I...huh.” For a moment, his mind tried to reset, then sharpened at the wolfish grin Steve now held when staring up at Tony. “That’s...not gonna work every time, Cap.” 

“Of course not.” Yet there was a mischievous spark in Steve’s gaze, as if to challenge Tony’s statement. But he didn’t vocalize his disbelief, changing the conversation back to his original goal. “What do you want to get for dinner?” 

“Indian.” His words came out instantly, and Steve looked pleased with the response when snagging his sweatpants. 

“Great. You’ve got a shower in here, right? I’ll order while you get it set up.” Tony grumbled when pulling himself off the couch, ignoring the unpleasant stick that pulled at his thigh when he did. Steve looked far too pleased with himself while he yanked the phone from his pants, and Tony’s mind already begun to turn with wicked ideas while moving toward his shower. 

And if Tony sent Steve the dirtiest text message (pictures included) while Steve was in Fury’s class the next day, it was simply sweet revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony always gets his revenge. Well, thats the end of this random story, I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think! And look out for more stories in the summer. Kudos are always appreciated and comments are always answered! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Steve and Tony, always unable to get out of their own ways. So, what do you think will happen next? Why did Steve pull away last minute? Will Tony figure it out, or make things worse? And how do our two favorite redheads play a part in the next chapter? Let me know! Kudos are always appreciated, and comments will get answers as always. Thanks for reading!


End file.
